Add a touch of romance around your home with this beautiful frame. Simple and quick to create, it is the perfect summer addition to your home.

I was so excited when I received my Impress Art™ supplies for this blog hop. They sent me this great hammer that I saw at their booth during the Craft and Hobby Association Winter Show.

Finally, a one-pound, brass hammer that is designed for metal stamping that really makes a difference. Does it really work? Yes! I’ve tried other hammers and I never had any luck getting good images. The Impress Art™ one-pound, brass hammer allowed me to get great images with ease. I love this hammer and it makes stamping in metal a real joy.

The exciting news is that this hammer is part of the grand prize being offered by Impress Art™.

This hammer is perfect for those who have never used metal stamps and a wish come true for those who have been stamping a while. Thank you, Impress Art™ for sending it to me! I love it!!!

As it was mentioned in my Selling Your Crafts five-part blog series, using quality tools makes crafting more enjoyable. If you enjoy what you are doing, you can be more creative and happier with your finished product.

There are many projects you can create with metal stamps.As you travel around this blog hop, you will get a lot of great ideas for projects.This is a great way to embellish your crafts and take them to a new level.

My Vintage Summer Frame, which is inspired by Victorian summer dresses, is a fun way to freshen any room for the summer. It’s also makes a great gift or make a smaller version to use as a place card and party favor for guest to take home.

Metal Stamping Instructions

Place the stamping blank onto the steel stamping block. Place the metal stamp onto the blank and then use the Impress Art™ 1 lb brass hammer to stamp the letters onto the blanks. Use four or five sharp hits with the hammer. Repeat this step until you have stamped all your words.

Place craft gloves on your hands to protect your hands and then apply the ink from a permanent black marker over all the stamped letters. Make sure the ink gets deep into the stamped image. Dampen a tissue with rubbing alcohol and then use the tissue to remove the excess ink from the circles. Be careful not to remove the ink from the depressed images.

Buff all the stamping blanks with #0000 fine-grade steel wool and then punch a hole in the side of the nickel-silver petal. The hole will be hidden under the copper leaf. This hole will allow glue to flow through it and help secure the petal and leaf to the wooden frame.

Stamping Tips

Layout your metal stamps to spell out your words.That way, you are less likely to make a spelling error when stamping.

Start from the center and work toward the ends.Determine the center of your blank.Use the middle letter of your word in the center of the blank and then work out from that middle letter.This will help your words to be centered in the stamping blank.

Frame Construction

Many crafters have left-over pieces of lace, fabric trims, and buttons from previous projects. This is a great way to all those left over pieces.

If you can’t find a white frame, craft stores sell unfinished frames which you can paint white.

Glue the lace and fabric trims to the frame using non-yellowing, archival glue. This is an important step because some glue will yellow as they age and it will discolor the lace. Attach the 4mm adhesive-backed crystals to the frame.

Stamp your metal blanks with the words “Grow Your Creativity” and then attach the 2mm adhesive-backed crystals to the stamped metal.

Glue the metal-framed tag, copper leaf, brass-oval washer and fabric rose to the upper-left corner of the frame. Attach the nickel-silver petal and copper leaf to the lower-right corner of the frame. Allow all the glue to dry completely before inserting your sepia photograph into the frame.

Statement

I have relationships with a number of companies whose products I use in projects on my blog. These companies are my "goto" people when I am looking to create projects that will hold up to the test of wear, tear, and time. Many of these companies do give me free products to use in my projects. However, I only use companies whose products in which I believe.

I am an independent contractor and do not work for any of the companies you see on my blog.

Copyright Information

All materials on this site are the intellectual property of Carol Heppner and protected by United States copyright law.